Author: Martyn

As a fan of the DC comics series ‘Gotham Central,’ I was eager to watch Fox’s pre-Batman series ‘Gotham.’ However, it didn’t quite meet my expectations. While ‘Gotham Central’ focuses on the lives of the ordinary police officers, ‘Gotham’ revolves around the investigation of the Wayne family’s murder by rookie detective Jim Gordon and his partner Harvey Bullock. The show had the potential to provide a fresh perspective on the Wayne family but only gave them a few minutes of screen time.

The show also tries to include every A-list villain from the Batman universe, such as Catwoman, The Riddler, Poison Ivy, The Joker, and The Penguin, which feels forced and detracts from the central story. Jada Pinkett-Smith’s portrayal of mob boss Fish Mooney is over-the-top and cartoonish, in contrast to the more grounded performances of Ben McKenzie and Donal Louge.

While there are some standout performances, the writers need to tone down the exaggerated portrayals of some of the characters. We don’t need Catwoman constantly posing like a cat to remind us of who she is. Despite its flaws, ‘Gotham’ has potential and may appeal to fans of the Batman universe.

Gotham airs 13 October at 9:00pm on Channel 5.

⭐️⭐️

Originally titled Neighbors in the US, the film was renamed ‘Bad Neighbours’ in the UK to avoid confusion with the popular Aussie soap.

However, a more fitting title would have been ‘Bad Parents’, as the couple in question – Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly Radner (Rose Byrne) – often neglect their infant daughter for extended periods of time.

Mac and Kelly’s peaceful new home is disrupted when a college fraternity, Delta Psi Beta, moves in next door. Initially, the two groups get along well, with Mac and Kelly even joining in on the partying.

But when a particularly noisy party forces Mac to call the police, tensions escalate between the neighbors. Fraternity president Teddy Sanders (Zac Efron) is angry that the couple broke their promise to him, and both sides engage in a series of childish pranks to get back at each other.

Mac and Kelly enlist the help of Mac’s work friend Jimmy (Ike Barinholtz) and Jimmy’s ex-wife Paula (Carla Gallo) to exact revenge on the fraternity, leading to some hilarious and outrageous moments.

While Bad Neighbours may not reach the comedic heights of Animal House or other classic college comedies, it’s still an entertaining and fun film. With a running time of just 90 minutes, it’s the perfect length for a comedy like this.

Look out for Bad Neighbours on DVD, releasing September 8th.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Unfortunately, the comedic value of this film is severely lacking, to the point where it’s almost cringe-worthy. The premise is intriguing enough: two best friends attend a fancy dress party as cops and decide to continue their ruse as pretend cops. However, the execution falls flat, and the idea quickly becomes tired and repetitive. It’s difficult to believe that the plot can stretch out to a 104-minute film, as the situations are implausible and require a significant amount of suspension of disbelief.

Despite the potentially interesting premise, the comedic writing and delivery fall short, resulting in an unfunny and almost painful experience. Damon Wayans Jr. and Jake Johnson have proven comedic talent, but their efforts in this film are wasted on weak material. The attempts at humour feel forced and predictable, and the jokes fall flat more often than not.

In hindsight, this could have been a much more successful project if it had been executed as a series of 5-10 minute shorts online. The premise is better suited to a shorter format, and the situations would have been more effective if they were presented as individual sketches rather than stretched out over a feature-length film. Ultimately, the film fails to deliver on its potential and is a forgettable addition to the comedy genre.

⭐️